Measurement of malondialdehyde, glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase in SLE patients.

Oxidative stress contributes to chronic inflammation of tissues and plays a central role in immunomodulation, which may lead to autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and antiphospholipid syndrome. Markers of oxidative damage include malondialdehyde (MDA), antioxidant scavengers as glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH Px), which all correlate well with SLE disease activity. Amelioration of some clinical manifestations of SLE may be expected by targeting lipid peroxidation with dietary or pharmacological antioxidants. Here, we describe the detection of the key players of oxidant/antioxidant imbalance in SLE.